What the blood of Christ does
The New Covenant
The new covenant is a fresh, unbreakable relationship between God and his people, sealed at the last supper. Jesus lifted the cup and called it his blood of the new testament, shed for many for the remission of sins. A covenant is a binding bond, and this one is founded not on our promises but on his blood, given so that sins are truly forgiven.
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”Matthew 26:28
What it means
A covenant is a solemn, binding relationship, defining how two parties belong to one another. The old covenant at Sinai was sealed with the blood of animals and rested in part on the people's obedience, which they repeatedly broke. The prophets had promised a new covenant in which God would forgive sins and write his law on the heart, a bond that would not fail because God himself would keep it. At the table, Jesus announces that this promised covenant is now arriving through his death. Its terms are not a fragile bargain we might default on, but a gift secured entirely by him. To be in the new covenant is to belong to God under a relationship he guarantees, marked from the start by the forgiveness of sins rather than by our record of performance.
How it works
Every covenant in Scripture is ratified by blood, and this one is sealed by the blood of Christ himself. Jesus says the cup is his blood, shed for many for the remission of sins, tying the covenant directly to his death on the cross. The old sacrifices could only picture forgiveness, repeated year after year without ever finishing the work. Christ's blood accomplishes what they foreshadowed, dealing with sin once and for all and putting the covenant on an unshakable footing. Because the bond rests on his finished sacrifice rather than on our faithfulness, it cannot be annulled by our failures. The forgiveness promised is not partial or provisional. It is the founding gift of the covenant, purchased and guaranteed by the blood that sealed it.
The Lamb who was slain
The one who seals the new covenant is Christ, and he seals it with his own blood rather than another's. At the supper he speaks of his death before it happens, giving the cup as a pledge of the life he is about to pour out for many. He was slain to bring this covenant into force, so that those who were far off could be bound to God forever. This becomes yours as you come to him in faith and take, as it were, the cup he offers, trusting his blood to be the ground of your standing. You do not enter the covenant by keeping conditions you could never keep. You enter it by receiving the one who kept everything and shed his blood so that your sins would be remembered no more.
Questions people ask
what is the new covenant in the blood of Christ
It is the unbreakable relationship God promised through the prophets, in which he forgives sin and binds his people to himself forever. At the last supper Jesus called the cup his blood of the new covenant, shed for the forgiveness of sins. Unlike the old covenant, it rests on his faithfulness and finished sacrifice, not on our performance, so it cannot fail.
why did the new covenant need blood
In Scripture every covenant is ratified by blood, a life given to seal the bond. The old covenant used animal blood that could only picture forgiveness and had to be repeated. Christ sealed the new covenant with his own blood, dealing with sin once and for all. Because it rests on his finished sacrifice, the covenant stands firm and the forgiveness it brings is complete.